The Guardians of Nirn, Book 1: Tamriel
by KonahrikB157
Summary: There's more to Skyrim and Tamriel then just Magic and Shouting...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own original characters only, Skyrim and LOK belong to their rightful owners.**

**The first chapter is always the hardest, but it's finally complete. I originally posted an incomplete copy so I could get an idea of how my writing style went over.**

**Now it's finally done, and I can hopefully get this story going.**

**One thing to get straight, if you're here for LOK action, you're going to have to wait, this is just the beginning. It will come, but it'll be awhile before we get there.**

**So... lets do this.**

* * *

**Book 1: Tamriel**

**Chapter 1: The Return Part 1: Old Endings, New Beginnings**

* * *

_Long ago, the world was forged in the fires of creation, and mortals and spirits would walk the earth together in an unstable harmony._

_Until ten thousand years ago, when the balance between order and chaos was broken._

_Little to no record remains of what exactly happened, but when all was said and done, spirits receded from the physical world, mortals of all kinds and creeds spread over the entire world in the spirits absence, and access between the two worlds was severed by two people who would later vow to guard the balance between order and chaos, between light and darkness._

_These people would later be known as the Avatar and the Dragonborn. Empowered by the gods themselves, both of them were gifted with the ability to bend the elements of the world around them, as well as use the Voice of Dragons, and when they died, a new guardian would be born with the same power._

_In later eras, when the Dragonborn would leave with the Atmorans to settle the lands of Tamriel, leaving the Avatar to watch over the Four Nations of Akavir._

_It is now the 201st year of the Fourth Era, and Tamriel is drowning in the blood of it's people, war is on the horizon once again, and one question comes to mind for those who know of the guardians._

"_Where is the new Dragonborn?"_

* * *

**15th of Last Seed 4E 201**

**Bruma, Cyrodiil**

As the sun set, the wind howled, carrying with it freshly powered snow that had been sprinkled over the city early in the day. While the rest of the province would be experiencing the closing days of summer, Bruma's closeness to the Jerrall Mountains caused snowfall year-round.

The citizens closed up their shops for the day, leaving for either home or the Tavern.

One of these people was a young Nord running through the crowd to his family's home near the east gate. He was no older then seventeen, just a bit taller then normal for his age, shoulder length dark blonde hair, his eyes a gray blue dully shining through the falling powder.

Finally reaching the door of his home, he gently opened the door, hoping to silently slip in and avoid gathering attention. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his family, he just wanted to be alone after the argument he and his parents had over his future.

But this wasn't the case.

"Johann?" a middle-aged female voice asked as he shut the door.

Johann looked to find both his parents waiting for him in the entry hall of their home.

His mother, Anna, was the court-mage, a member of the court under the Count and Countess of Bruma. Dressed in a set of Master's Robes, she sat in a chair next to a table by the stairway, as her husband stood by her side.

Leland, his father, was the Captain of the city guard. Dressed in a set of Steel armor, with a Steel sword sheathed at his hip, he had little hair left, compensated by a thick beard. Standing by his wife, his face expressionless, his own blue eyes locked on his second son.

"Yes, mama?" Johann asked in kind.

"Your father and I have been talking about what you said yesterday..." she began.

"I wouldn't really join the Legion!" he began, thinking back to the argument the day before "I just think it's time to see the world, find my own place in it!"

Yesterday, Johann had tried to convince his parents he was ready to leave home and have his own life, while his parents both argued that the world was too dangerous for him, that he needed more training. After half an hour of yelling, Johann left the house, yelling that he would join the Imperial Legion if that's what it took to leave Bruma. After that, neither side spoke to each other until this moment.

"We know that," his father added in, speaking for the first time, "and that's not what this is about, this is about a compromise."

"A compromise?"

"Yes," his mother said, "we talked about it with some members of the court at the castle, and after hearing some opinions, we've changed our minds."

Johann's eye's widened and a smile grew across his face. "Really?!"

"Yes," his father began, "we all have to start at some point, and now's about as good a time as any. But we allow this on three conditions."

"One, we want you to go back to Whiterun first, see if you'd like to live in our true home once more," his mother said.

Johann nodded at this agreeing. His family originally came from Whiterun, living in Skyrim for generations, only leaving to support Anna's aging parents in Bruma. They left behind many friends when they left the province, including several high ranking members of the court, namely Jarl Balgruuf the Greater.

"Two," his mother continued, dragging him out of his thoughts, "we don't want you getting involved in the rebellion, so stay out of Eastmarch and Haafingar, or we'll come and drag you back here."

"And lastly," his father added, "we want you to keep your gifts a secret as much as possible."

A perplexed look grew on Johann's face.

"Why spend years training me if you just want me to hide it? I could help people," Johann asked, confounded.

"The world is a dangerous place," his mother began, "it's not that we don't want you to help people, that's the reason we trained you in the first place, we just want you to be careful."

"Many people are waiting for someone with your abilities to appear," his father continued, "but not all of them will welcome you with open arms, there will be many who will want you gone, and sometimes..."

"An enemy can wear the same face as a friend," Johann finished for his father, completing the axiom his parents had taught both their sons since the day they could walk.

Since the day he could wield a weapon, both Johann's parents trained him and his brother in the arts of the warrior, the mage, and the craftsman. This practice was upheld among multiple branches of the family; his cousins in Cheydinhal trained to become Vigilants of Stendarr, like their mother, their aunt, and their grandmother before them.

But what was kept secret from outside the family, was that Johann was given additional training to master several abilities. Rare abilities that would be of interest to multiple factions in Tamriel; and while Johann understood how to fight with this power, he was far from being called a master... which was likely more then could be said for most people in Tamriel.

"Your not telling me everything," Johann declared, "why are you sending me to Skyrim?"

Johann's parents looked to one another, before nodding their heads at each other and turning their attention back to their son.

"We've taught you all we can," his mother said, "if you're going to become the man you want to be, the man the world needs, you have to find your own path in this world."

"For thousands of years, Skyrim has been not only the homeland of our people," his father continued, "but also a proving ground for some of the greatest heroes in Tamriel."

"But the other provinces have plenty of danger, just look at Cyrodiil," Johann suggested, "I know it's our homeland, but why send me to Skyrim, yet tell me to stay out of the Civil War? It makes no sense."

"You should be thankful we're allowing you to go in the first place," his father said, matter-of-factly, before shaking his head lightly, "do you want to know the truth, the full truth?"

"Yes," Johann said, lightly disgusted that his parents felt they still had to keep secrets from him, especially when they affected his future.

"There's been word among travelers from the North," his mother said, "they say Skyrim is falling apart; bandits harassing cities and farms, warlocks kidnapping people for dark experiments, they even say the dead are rising from the grave to protect their burial sites, it's complete chaos."

They all took a moment to let Johann fully grasp the news, the shock becoming evident as his eyes widened at the thought of Skyrim at the mercy of outlaws and the dead.

"The soldiers are too busy with the war to deal with any of this, the guards can barely defend their own cities, much less go hunting for criminals," his father explained, "if something isn't done, it will all fall to pieces, do you understand?"

Johann closed his eyes, comprehending what his parents had silently asked of him, before finally responding.

"I understand, when do I leave?"

* * *

**17th of Last Seed 4E 201**

**Cyrodiil/Skyrim Border, Jerall mountains**

**Two Days later**

After a night and day walking into the mountains, Johann arrived at the gate marking the border, expecting to see Imperial border guards... only to find the post deserted.

The gate bridged the gap between two small mountains, giving way to a large forest with snow all over the road everywhere.

Crossing the threshold into Skyrim, he looked around for any sign of life at all, man or beast, listening for any indication of either presence.

After a day of packing valuables and belongings, as well as saying goodbye to his brother and grandparents, Johann set off from Bruma in the early hours of the morning, hoping to be in Whiterun by nightfall.

In his pack, he carried another set of clothes, a set of nine amulets, one to each of the Divines, and a small supply of potions meant for restoring strength, health, and magicka. His mother gave him five hundred gold to use for necessities, and his father gave him a carved Nordic broadsword for self-defense.

Johann rested his hand on the pommel of his blade as he tried to pick out any sound of life in any direction. It was as if all life in the area had simply vanished, chased away by some unseen force.

Johann kept walking down the road thinking of all that was waiting for him in Whiterun... his birthplace, his true home. He thought of the friends he and his brother left behind, like the Grey-Mane and Battle-Born children, or Farkas and Vilkas in the Companions, all of them were adolescents when the Storm-Rider family left Whiterun, and-

His thoughts were interrupted when something ran out of the trees and bushes to his right and nearly knocked him off his feet before running off.

Coming to his senses, Johann reached for his sword, before he saw that what nearly hit him was a redheaded man dressed in hold guard armor with blue markings. Another two men came out of the brush, running after the first, both of them were blond, another dressed like a guard, the third dressed in what looked like a dark-colored version of a Noble's fur cloak over a chainmail vest.

Thinking they were in trouble, and hoping to get answers, Johann followed them as they all started running toward the northeast, before disappearing around a bend in the road. As Johann rounded the trees that blocked his line of sight, finally seeing his quarry once more... and they were not alone.

The men he'd been following were surrounded by Imperial soldiers, all with their weapons out and ready to gut someone at a moments notice. Outside the circle of soldiers, an Imperial sat atop a horse, dressed in more ornate and polished armor then normal, glaring down at the trapped nobleman.

"Ulfric Stormcloak," the horseman declared loudly, "by the authority of Emperor Titus Mede II, I place you under arrest on charges of murder, betrayal, and rebellion against the Empire."

Ulfric's men were about draw their weapons, until Ulfric signaled them to stand down, and they reluctantly followed the order.

As the Imperials moved to subdue the men, one of the looked down the road and spotted Johann watching the whole thing.

"There's another one!" the soldier shouted, alerting his comrades.

"Capture him!" the leader shouted from his horse, raising his sword in Johann's direction.

Johann turned around to run, only to find more Imperial soldiers coming the road the way he came, likely chasing Ulfric and forcing him into the trap.

Looking back and forth at the Imperials coming at him in both directions, Johann's thoughts ran at a thousand miles a minute, trying to think of a way out of this. These men were out for blood, they wouldn't listen to reason, and if he tried to fight with only his sword, they would overpower him.

This left him with only one option.

He dropped into a stance; both hands flat, right arm out in front of him, left arm pulled back to guard his chest. Ready to intercept the first soldier that came into range.

When the first soldier tried to bring his sword down on Johann's shoulder... he only cut through thin air, as Johann had ducked out of the way and to the left. Then he grabbed hold of a of a halberd that another had tried to cleave him with, and followed up by pulling the weapon out of the Imperial's hands, and then using the weapon's handle to knock the first man off his feet and onto the ground.

The second man was still wondering how his lost his weapon to a child when he was accosted by the shoulders, turned around, and kicked by said child, into a third soldier who was attempting to run at Johann and bash him with his shield.

Less then a second after, the fourth man tried to put Johann in a headlock, before the young Nord elbowed the Imperial in the abdomen, before ducking behind his assailant to take cover from the last soldier in the squad, an archer.

"Damn it," the archer said to himself quietly, bow pulled back and ready to launch, he yelled out, "get away from him! I need a clear shot!"

Before the soldier could move, two arms wrapped around his still aching torso, and Johann grunted as he picked the man up off his feet... and began to run right at the archer while using the man as a human shield. The archer then dropped his bow and was going for his dagger when the weight of of a soldier in full armor collided with him, sending them both tumbling off the road.

With all the soldiers disabled in one way or another, Johann turned his attention to the Imperials guarding their leader and prisoners. They'd all stood by and watched as one young Nord completely decimated a squad of their comrades, their jaws had hit the floor. Their leader, however, recovered quickly, bared his teeth in anger, and was about to order a charge... when a hand touched his shoulder and gathered his attention.

The hand belonged to a High Elf woman dressed in black robes with gold embroidery, she shook her head, knowing what he was going to do.

"Allow us," she said to the officer, before turning to her soldiers, all dressed in light-gold colored armor decorated with eagle motif.

"Take him! Do not let him escape!"

The High Elf soldiers charged past their Imperial "comrades," expecting to surprise the foolish human, but instead the human wasn't even paying attention to them.

Johann had both his arms raised before him, slowly raising them as he concentrated in his mind. The Elven warriors stopped their charge halfway between him and the Imperials, forming a defensive line.

No one expected what came next.

Stamping his feet into the ground, Johann released a blast of rock and snow, tearing up the road in front of him, effectively creating a landslide uphill at his opponents.

The Elves had the worst of it, being closer to the origin point, their thinly plated armor barely protecting them from the onslaught of rocks. All of them were thrown backwards upon collision, most of them had their armor dented, and a few unlucky ones hit in the head or upper torso fell to the ground bleeding.

The Imperials and their prisoners fared much better, due to both distance, and the fact that most of the heavier projectiles hit the Elves. Several men moved forward and raised their shields, protecting themselves and their comrades from the incoming rubble. With the shield wall raised, they weathered the storm of rock-filled snow, and when it was over, drew their swords to prepare for battle.

Only to find Johann had disappeared, the field was empty save for groaning and bleeding Elven troops.

Contorting his face in anger, the leading officer began barking orders as the elves tended to their wounded.

"He's gone into the forests!" he yelled out, "spread out! Find him!"

As the Imperials carried out his orders, a token force stayed behind to guard their captives, who had spent the entire time trying to comprehend what they'd just seen.

At least, that was the case for the Jarl's guards.

"Jarl Ulfric," the blond-haired guard began, "what was that? Some kind of mage?"

Ulfric watched the ordeal with initial surprise, which later turned to satisfaction as he watched the young man defeat the Elves.

"That was no magic, Ralof," Ulfric addressed his guard, "that was an earthbender."

As soon as the rocks launched, Johann used the attack as a distraction and ran into the snowed covered forest as fast as he could, thinking about his current problem.

He'd effectively declared himself an enemy of the Empire by resisting arrest, and demonstrating his abilities was another thing altogether. Once those soldiers reported in, he'd likely have a bounty on his head making him a criminal in the Empire and whatever territories they still held in Skyrim.

That only left the regions outside their control, like the areas united under the Stormcloak's banner. He wasn't about to leave his homeland, especially if his family came looking for him, so that him with a few options. Like heading to Windhelm or Ri-

Johann's line of thought was cut short as he slammed into something hard and cold, before falling back into the snow.

Standing up and regaining his composure, he saw he'd run right into a cliff wall, too distracted by his thoughts to see where he was going. He also noticed that he'd run into a sort of box canyon, only one way in or out, unless you knew how to climb rock walls.

He was about to walk out when he heard something that made his blood run cold.

"There he is!" a somewhat high-toned voice yelled.

Out from behind some trees, two more elves appeared with swords drawn, both had their armor dented in several places from Johann's rock blast, and both were advancing on him quickly.

Johann stepped back into the little canyon as the elves cut off his escape, ready to draw his sword or possibly earthbend again.

"You're going to pay for what you've done," the first elf said as he cornered the young nord.

"What did you have in mind, Nazarean?" the second elf asked, speaking to his cohort.

"I say give him a taste of real power before we hand him over to the Emissary," the first, now known as Nazarean said.

The second soldier nodded and stepped back, while Nazarean sheathed his sword and dropped into a stance.

He then pulled water from the snow in the ground and began to pull it through the air with his hands and arms. Both kept their eyes on the floating glob of water, and while the elf was impressed with himself, Johann was not.

"You humans think you're the only ones who've learned a few tricks over the centuries?" Nazarean said spitefully to Johann, who only scowled at him, "let me show you what real skill looks like!"

With that, he threw the water like an arrow at Johann, waiting for it to hit so he could encase the young man in ice.

Only this never happened.

Johann intercepted the water in mid-air, pulled it around, and threw it back at the elf's torso.

Nazarean's face turned from sadistic glee, to surprise, and finally shock as the water knocked him off his feet and back into the snow.

As he tried to get up, he saw Johann in another stance, with his left arm forward and his right arm cocked back as if he were going to throw a punch.

Johann inhaled through his nose...

…and brought his right fist forward, unleashing a stream of fire against the Elven waterbender.

When it was over, the snow around the elf had melted, and Nazarean was screaming in pain, his exposed skin heavily burnt, and his armor partially melted. To finish him off, Johann brought his foot up and then slammed it down, bringing rock pillar up right where the elf lay, sending flying into the air and falling to a quick death shortly after.

The other elf, after overcoming his shock, looked to his friend's killer, drew his sword and charged at him.

Johann threw an open palm at him, this time releasing not fire, but a concentrated blast of air, sending the elf back a few feet, but still standing. He threw another blast. And another. And another.

Finally, the elf lost his footing, and was sent hurtling back into a tree, where his already damaged helmet finally shattered, and he lost consciousness.

Catching his breath, Johann dropped his stance, letting what had just happened sink in. He had killed one person, and knocked out another. He felt a bit sick.

_SNKKK!_

The sound of metal vs metal dragged him out of his stupor.

Looking over to the unconscious elf, he saw another man dressed like the prisoners from earlier, driving a battleaxe into the elf's spine. While he pulled the weapon out of the corpse, two others like him, came out of the trees and walked toward Johann, who was too shell-shocked to raise his defenses.

"Are you alright?" one of them, a woman, asked.

Johann simply nodded.

"Come with us," she said, offering her hand, "it's not safe here, we have a camp nearby."

He took her hand, and she and her comrades led him out of the box canyon and further into the forest.

* * *

**Falkreath Stormcloak Camp**

The soldiers led Johann to a camp situated on a small hill over looking the road, occupied with more of their comrades.

They led Johann to a small fire pit surrounded by several tents just outside a much larger tent.

"Wait here," said the man who killed the unconscious elf, "the commander will want to speak to you."

As they walked off to the large tent, Johann sat down at the fire, alone with his thoughts.

After about five minutes of staring into the fire and feeling it's warmth, he didn't even notice the soldier's return with their commander.

"What troubles you, boy?" a deep voice rumbled.

Johann looked up to see a man dressed in leather armor, with metal reinforcements on his guantlets and boots. It was also decorated with a bear pelt hanging over his shoulders, with the bear's head used as a sort of helmet. The man himself had moderately tanned skin, eyes blue as ice, and a graying beard tied off with a small band.

"I just killed someone for the first time," Johann said, very minor sadness coloring his tone.

The commander put had on Johann's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Only a monster kills without feeling," he said, "but you can't let those feelings get in the way of your life, besides they were Thalmor, they didn't deserve to live in the first place."

Johann accepted this, nodding to show his understanding to the commander.

"My name is Galmar Stone-Fist," the commander said next, "what about you boy?"

"I am Johann Storm-Rider."

Galmar's face showed minor surprise for a second, before a smile grew in its place. He offered Johann a hand, who accepted it and was pulled to his feet.

"Storm-Rider, eh? Been some time since I heard that name," Galmar said, "I think I met a quiet old bastard named Leland Storm-Rider a few decades ago in Whiterun, any relation?"

"My father," Johann confirmed.

"Haven't seen any of your family in Skyrim for ten years," Galmar continued, "what brings you here now?"

"Both my parents allowed me to leave home," Johann explained, "after a little arguing, they understood that it was time to leave home, to find my own way in this world... as you can tell, I haven't had the best start so far."

"That's what you call getting caught up in an ambush and defeating squads of both Imperial and Thalmor troops? Heh, I'd love to see what you call horrible," Galmar said, "come with me, I have some questions, and I bet you do too."

Galmar led Johann to the large tent, inside was a table with a map of Skyrim and a small dresser off to the side.

"What do you know about the ambush you walked into?" Galmar asked.

"One moment, I'm walking along thinking about Whiterun," Johann answered, "the next, three men appear from nowhere and nearly knock me to the ground. Two of them were wearing chain mail armor with blue decoration, and the third had a heavy cloak with an armored vest beneath it. I followed them, wondering what had three warriors running like that, and then they were surrounded further down the road."

"And he was captured, perfect," Galmar finished, sarcastically.

"'He?'" Johann asked, confused.

"Wait," Galmar said, brow furrowed in equal confusion, "you seriously don't know who those men were guarding? The man in the vest was Ulfric Stormcloak! Jarl of Eastmarch and leader of the rebellion against the Empire!"

That made Johann widen his eyes. Everyone knew about the rebellion, but few people truly knew much about the man leading it. What was known was that Ulfric was a former member of the Imperial Legion who fought in the great war thirty years ago, after the war he led the assault against the captured city of Markarth, and he became the Jarl of Eastmarch not long after that.

Beyond that, stories began to differ from each other as facts became biased opinions. Stormcloak sympathizers say Ulfric defeated High King Toryyg in an honorable duel in the old ways, while Imperial loyalists claim Ulfric murdered the King in cold blood.

"How in Oblivion did the leader of a Rebellion end up in a trap?" Johann asked in confusion.

"Ulfric was on his way to Ivarstead, heading through Darkwater crossing, he wanted to speak to the Greybeards for some reason."

"He didn't tell anyone why?"

"He didn't even tell me, and I'm his Housecarl." Galmar said, pointing to himself, "anyway, the Imperials were waiting for him, somehow they knew he would be there. When the trap was sprung, Ulfric sent a runner back to Windhelm to inform me, and I rallied as many men I could find to rescue him."

"So, what's your plan now?"

"I've got scouts following the caravan carrying Ulfric and the rest of his guard, when they return, we're going after them."

Johann was shocked, "when you say 'we,' you mean you and your men, don't you?"

Now Galmar was confused, "you mean you don't want to help?"

"Look, I wanted to leave home so I could find my way in the world, I didn't want to be a part of this war. This isn't my fight."

"You're a son of Skyrim, this is your fight as well," Galmar claimed. "Stand with us, and we can secure the future of our people!"

"I don't know who I stand with!" Johann yelled back, before continuing calmly, "not the Stormcloaks, and not the Imperials, I just wanted to return home."

Before either of them could continue the debate, a man dressed in Stormcloak armor rushed into the tent.

"Sir!" the men said as he raised his fist over his chest, specifically his heart, in salute, "the caravan isn't going to the border like we thought, it's actually headed to Helgen, a town and military outpost to the west of here."

Galmar returned the scout's salute before replying, "good work, soldier, go get yourself a hot meal."

The scout nodded and left the tent, and Galmar planted a small red flag on the map occupying the table.

"Shouldn't they be taking him to Cyrodiil?" Johann asked, confused, "why head for head for a small village instead?"

"It's not important, all that matters is getting Ulfric and his men out of Imperial hands," Galmar said as he pulled a battleaxe off his back, inspected the blade's edge, and replaced it, "look, my men won't stop you if you wish to leave, but if you want to help, it would be appreciated."

"Wait," Johann said as Galmar made for the tent's exit, "I'll make you a deal; I'll cause a distraction and you get your men out of there."

"What's the catch?" Galmar asked.

"Don't harm any Imperial soldiers."

"Why in the name of Shor not?!"

"Because they're just Soldiers following orders, just like your men out there," Johann said, as he waved his arm at the soldiers seen outside, "they have friends and families waiting for them at home, and I refuse to be the reason they come home in a coffin."

"Why do you care anyway," Galmar said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "you said this wasn't your fight."

"Doesn't mean I want my homeland drowning in anymore blood then it is already," Johann explained, "and that's the path it will follow if Ulfric dies today. Now do you want help or not?"

Galmar stroked his beard, clearly weighing the options in his head, before turning back to Johann with a slight grin on his face.

* * *

**Helgen, Falkreath hold**

Johann walked down the hill, following the road west into the wall that protected the small village and fort.

The gates had just closed as he came in sight of the city, the carriages carrying Stormcloak prisoners and their guards passing through seconds before. As he walked up to the gate, an Imperial archer from on top of the gate noticed him.

"Halt! State your business here!" the archer shouted, ready to reach for his bow. This man was part of the fort garrison, so he wasn't there when Johann defended himself against the Imperials earlier.

"I'm just looking for supplies, maybe a place to sleep," Johann lied, hoping the guard would just let him in.

His hopes were only answered half-way.

"Sorry, this fort is locked down," the guard said, believing the lie, "orders from General Tullius, no one goes in or out until he says so. If you head south-west, you can be in Falkreath in about an hour."

Johann nodded and watched as the guard continued his rounds, turning his attention to the courtyard beyond the gate. Johann made a run around the walls and toward the fort.

Finding a spot far enough away from patrolling archers, Johann used airbending to spin himself up and over the wall, before coming down not next a house not far from the northern gate. Not hearing any sounds of alarm, he assumed he made it in undetected, and made his way across the road into an alley between a fort wall and couple buildings, taking care to watch for patrols.

At the end of the alley, he could see the prisoners disembarking the carriages parked in front of a house near two stone watch towers. Imperial troops were all over the place, guarding the courtyard between the towers and the fort wall, while a man dressed in a headsman's outfit, followed by a women in the robes of a priestess walked into the yard.

There were also a few High Elf troops scattered around, including the same woman who sicced the troops on him back at the road. Standing guard at the southern tower was a couple of Wood Elf archers in front of the tower dressed in some kind of red-colored leather armor with black cloth in various places, as well as a matching hood over their helmets.

As Johann made his way over the road again, this time taking cover near the inn, he could hear the Imperials begin to order the prisoners around.

"Step forwards toward the block when we call your name," an woman dressed in heavy Imperial armor commanded, "one at a time!"

A Nord with light brown hair stood next to her and began reading names off a list he held in his hands.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

Ulfric, hands bound and mouth gagged, stepped forward toward the crowd of Stormcloaks between the carts and the headsman's block.

"Ralof of Riverwood."

A blond-haired man stepped forward into the crowd, the same man who was guarding Ulfric when they passed him by on the road earlier.

"Lokir of Rorikstead."

Another Nord, this one dressed in a roughspun tunic and pants, his dark brown hair matted and unwashed, stepped towards the soldiers and began panicking.

"No, I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!," he declared, before running past them and up the road.

"Halt!" the armored woman shouted at the prisoner.

"You're not gonna kill me!" Lokir shouted back as he ran past the Wood Elf archers.

When the woman called for the archers to shoot him down, Johann readied his stance. Right as they were about to fire, Johann raised a small rock, tripping up Lokir and causing the archers to miss their target. The elves then ran over to their quarry, bows at the ready, they found themselves flying into the fort wall, knocking them out stone cold, as Johann ran over to Lokir when the Imperials turned their attention to the headsman's block.

"Who are you? Did the Divines hear my plea?" Lokir asked as Johann helped him to his feet.

"Uh... sure let's go with that," Johann replied, "go hide behind the inn, when the fighting starts, try to get out of here."

Lokir seemed confused by the statement, but nodded and ran off behind the inn.

As Johann started walking toward the towers, he heard some kind of roar echo in the distance, and it didn't sound like any animal he could think of, and the sheer volume implied the beast was massive. He could see the imprisoned Stormcloaks look off into the distance for the source of the noise, and began hearing discussion as he walked to the execution.

"What was that?" asked the Nord soldier who was holding list earlier.

"It's nothing, carry on," asked the same officer from the ambush, the one who arrested Ulfric.

"Yes, General Tullius," the armored woman said to the officer, now known as General Tullius, "give them their last rites."

Before the priestess could begin, Johann came around the tower and began his attack.

First he earthbended the headsman's block into headsman, and then he raised several stones from the ground, before sending them at the soldier between him and Tullius. When the armored Imperial moved to attack him, Johann threw a rock the size of his torso at her, sending her flying back to the ground in front of the prisoners.

Before it could go any farther, Johann ran at the General, pulling and throwing more rocks out of the ground to attack soldiers who tried to intercept him. When he reached Tullius, Johann threw a rock in his gut, winding him long enough for Johann to unsheathe his sword, get around behind him, and put the officer in a headlock with his left arm.

"Nobody move or the General dies!" Johann shouted at the top of his lungs, brandishing his Nordic sword with his free arm.

While the Imperials began to get up from the assault, the gate behind the prisoners exploded inward, allowing a group of Stormcloaks led by Galmar to enter the courtyard and surround the Imperials. The prisoners were elated, none more then Ulfric himself, despite his gag, you could clearly see him smile.

"Why would you do this? We were about to end the way!" Tullius asked, still restrained and now furious.

Johann sighed, "to give this war another chance to end in peace."

Everyone heard what he said, and looked at the young Nord as if he'd grown a second head.

This didn't last long, as another roar was heard echoing around the mountains, this time much closer.

"What is that sound?" Ralof asked as one of his brothers-in-arms cut his bonds loose.

"Stay focused," Galmar said as he personally cut Ulfrics bonds and gag, "we don't have much time, get these dogs tied up and then get ready to run."

Then yet another roar was heard, this time right on top of them.

Johann looked to the north, and his eyes almost popped out of his head. Flying at them was a giant black beast with read eyes, with two large wings flapping powerfully, a pair of legs between them and it's tail. Every inch of the beast was covered in black scales that gleamed in the sunlight overhead.

Thinking back to the stories about beasts he'd read, Johann could only think of one beast that matched the one coming at them.

A dragon.

"What in Talos name is that?!" Galmar shouted in surprise.

"It's in the clouds!" a soldier shouted.

"Dragon!" another added.

The Dragon landed atop the tower, shaking the ground around them, before opening it's massive maw and roaring. As it did this, a storm gathered over head, thunder began to sound, lightning began to crack.

In the commotion, Johann let go the general and stood in front of the Stormcloaks. When the beast opened it's maw, this time unleashing some kind of wave of energy, not unlike a concentrated blast of air, directly at him. He tried to raise a rock wall to shield him from the blast, but it broke through and sent Johann flying back.

Johann flew into a carriage and his world went black.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, hope you come back for later chapters.**


	2. Chapter 2

**If you're expecting a word-for-word recount from the opening scene, prepare to be surprised. Just try to bear with me on the changes, this is non-canon after all.**

**You'll also see some AU elements in this chapter, just know I have a plan for these parts.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls or Legend of Korra, I only own original characters.**

* * *

**Book 1: Tamriel**

**Chapter 2: Escape from Helgen**

* * *

_"All hail to Ulfric! You are the High King!_

_In your great honor we drink and we sing,_

_We're the Children of Skyrim and we fight all our lives,_

_And when Sovngarde beckons, everyone of us dies!"_

-Age of Oppression, Stormcloak War Hymn

* * *

"Hey! Kinsman! Get up!"

Johann was helped to his feet after hitting the carriage by one of the Stormcloaks from earlier, Ralof if he remembered correctly.

"Come on the gods won't give us another chance!" he continued as he moved to one of the stone watchtowers, "this way!"

Johann began to run after Ralof to the tower, taking in the scene around him as he ran. The sky overhead had been blotted out by whatever storm the Dragon had summoned, and now flaming rocks were falling to the ground from it. The Dragon itself was flying all over the town, using it's fire breath to burn buildings and people alike. The Imperials were nowhere to be seen, likely falling back to defend the townsfolk, leaving the Stormcloaks to do what they wished at the time.

Ralof and Johann ran into the tower, finding Jarl Ulfric, Galmar, and a number of their men and women already inside. Galmar slammed the door shut right after they came in.

"Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing?!" Ralof asked his leader, with a very small amount of fear in his voice, "could the legends be true?!"

"Legends don't burn down villages, Ralof," Ulfric declared, gravely.

The Dragon was heard roaring overhead, gathering everyone's attention.

"We need to move, now!" Ulfric yelled, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

Ralof looked to Johann, then pointed to the staircase, "up through the tower, let's go!"

Johann bounded up the stairs as fast as he could, reaching a landing blocked by fallen debris from the tower roof. A Stormcloak was trying to clear the rocks when he noticed Johann approach.

"We just need to move some of these rocks to clear the way!" the soldier declared.

Before Johann could react in any way, the stone wall behind the Stormcloak exploded inward, followed by a familiar black maw.

The Dragon's head looked around for a brief second before settling on the soldier now trapped in rubble. The beast began to draw in breath to unleash fire, only to have multiple rocks slammed into his face.

Johann then looked for the largest rock he could see, the same rock now crushing the soldier at his feet, before throwing it into the Dragon's maw, forcing the beast's head back out the hole in the wall.

While Johann helped the Stormcloak soldier to his feet, he noticed the Dragon leaving it's perch atop the building next to the tower, likely in search of more defenseless prey. When Ralof finally reached the top of the stairs, Johann handed the injured soldier to him.

"See the inn on the other side?" Ralof asked as he took the man over his shoulder, gesturing to the building through the hole with his free arm, "Jump through the roof and keep going!"

Johann looked between the hole in the Inn's roof and the opening in the tower wall several times, before finally jumping through. He landed on the upper floor of the Inn right next to a barrel, before moving across the floor to the other side. Finding a hole in the floor, he jumped through it to reach the base floor, before heading out of the ruined building.

As he moved out from the destroyed Inn through a hole in the wall, Johann found the Imperial soldier from earlier, as well as an older Nord dressed in iron armor. Both were looking up the road at a young boy, no more then ten years old, crouching over the body of a man.

"Haming! You need to get over here! Now!" the Imperial shouted up the road.

"Get off the road boy!" the old man shouted as well.

As all this was happening Johann saw the Dragon flying overhead, moving toward the boy and the man. He widened his eyes in realization, knowing he didn't have much time, he had no choice.

He ran toward the boy and the wounded man.

He reached them just as the Dragon landed. with Johann between them and the beast. As the Dragon prepared to unleash another gout of fire...

Before the fire could reach any of them, Johann threw his arms up and to the right, and a stone pillar erupted out of the ground and slammed into the Dragon's head, forcing it to release the fire breath harmlessly into the air above.

While the Dragon was distracted, Johann turned to the young boy and the man, likely the boy's father given the resemblance between the two. He hurriedly helped the man get to his feet before looking to the boy.

"I've got your father!" he said with urgency, "Get to safety! We'll be right behind you!"

The boy looked at Johann with wide eyes, then looked to his father worriedly, before nodding and running toward the Imperial soldier behind cover of a ruined home. While the boy running to safety, Johann looked to the father, whose arm was slung over his shoulders.

"Come on," he said to the man, "You're not answering Sovngarde's call today."

Without waiting for a response from the wounded Nord, he began to run back to cover, supporting the man's weight as best he could. When he finally turned around the corner, he passed the man off to the Imperial, who in turn laid the man against the ruined wall. The boy ran to his father's side, who wrapped his arms around his son tightly in a protective hug. Johann looked back up the road to see if the Dragon would come after them, only to see the beast taking off once more and flying toward another part of the city.

Before Johann could see where the Dragon would land, an armored hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, making him face the Imperial, a Nord with light brown hair not unlike his own.

"Why are you helping us?" he asked, his voice filled with mild confusion and a hint of anger, "I thought you were with the Stormcloaks!"

Johann pushed the man's hand off his shoulder before replying, "Things just got complicated! Now's not the time for this!"

The man just stared at Johann for a moment, before turning to the others, "Gunnar, take care of Torolf and his boy! We have to find General Tullius and join the defense!"

"Gods guide you, Hadvar!" Gunnar replied over all the noise, nodding in affirmation.

The Imperial, now known as Hadvar, then ran out from around the corner of the burning building, heading for where the Dragon had last landed. As Johann followed, entering the alley between one of the keep's walls and a house, the Dragon landed on top of the wall next to them, one of it's wings appearing less then a foot in front of Johann.

Johann crouched down, following Hadvar's lead, trying to avoid making any noise that might alert the Dragon to their presence. The Dragon either didn't notice or didn't care about them, it just unleashed another torrent of flames from it's maw, before once again taking flight.

Hadvar got to his feet, before running into the area between two houses, one of which was now burned to the ground. As Johann followed he came across the burning corpse of an Imperial Archer, likely the Dragon's most recent kill. Avoiding the sight and smell of burning flesh, Johann cut through the burning house and found Hadvar in one of the courtyards.

The Imperial troops had gathered in this yard, including General Tullius, who was trying to take control of the rapidly deteriorating situation, commanding his troops to attack the Dragon with anything they could use. Anyone who had a bow and arrows, or skill in Destruction magic, was throwing projectiles at the beast, both steel and fire. Those without ranged weapons were trying to protect the civilians, herding them toward the gates, likely in hope of moving out of the village and into the forest, where they had more cover.

Tullius looked toward Hadvar by the burning house, before waving to get his attention.

"Hadvar!" he shouted over all the noise around them, "There's still people in the Keep! Get them out of there and regroup at Falkreath!"

Hadvar only nodded, before turning to Johann, "It's you and me boy! Stay close!"

Hadvar ran down the western road, under an archway connecting two fort walls, before Johann followed him. As Johann passed the walls, he watched as Imperial archers lining walls took shots at the Dragon.

The Dragon didn't take kindly to that.

The Dragon swooped down from above, grabbing an Imperial right off a wall in it's claws. The beast climbed back into the sky and flew over the fort, before dropping the crushed body like a piece of trash.

Turning his gaze away from the brutal method of death, Johann saw Ralof climb through a crack in the fort wall, before stopping a few feet away from him.

"Ralof! You damn traitor!" Hadvar shouted, the anger in his voice apparent, "Out of my way!"

"We're escaping, Hadvar!" Ralof shouted back, his voice more defiant then anything else, "You're not stopping us this time!"

Growling for a second, Hadvar looked back to his kinsman with a face of frustration, "Fine! I hope that Dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"

Johann just slapped his right hand against his forehead in frustration, there was a fire-breathing Dragon trying to kill them, and they were still at each other's throats over the Civil War. Right now, there was nothing Johann wanted more then to get as many people out of this town as he could, and these two thick-headed louts weren't going to help him without some convincing.

"For the love of the Gods!" Johann declared, before shoulder-checking Hadvar and crashing into his back, causing him to slam head first in Ralof's stomach.

Johann was able to stay on his feet, but both Hadvar and Ralof landed in a heap in front of the door into a building connected to the Keep. As they were getting up, Johann ran through the doorway, before slamming his foot down and thrusting his arms out, before pulling them back in, causing the earth beneath the collapsed Nords to pull up like a sheet of metal and block the door from the outside, carrying the soldiers inside and locking them in.

* * *

As Hadvar and Ralof worked to get to their feet, Johann took a second to catch his breath, his hands on his knees as he bent over slightly.

His rest was cut short as Hadvar slammed into him and pushed him into a wall, pressing his armored forearm against Johann's throat, while looking Johann straight in the eyes.

"Why are you doing this?!" Hadvar shouted in Johann's face, "Are you trying to help Ralof take me prisoner?!"

Before Johann could answer, Hadvar was pulled away and thrown onto the floor by Ralof, who drew his axe to Hadvar's throat. But before Ralof could say or do anything, he was thrown across the room onto a random bed by a strong blast of air. Both men looked to see Johann in an odd stance as they got to their feet.

"Enough!" Johann shouted, "This is not the time for your pointless war! There is a gods-damned DRAGON outside, and if we're going to anyone out of here alive, we need to work together!"

"Work with you?" Hadvar asked as he brushed off his armor, before pointing an accusatory finger at Johann, "You attacked my comrades, you stopped the execution, we were about the end the war before you showed up!"

"Do you really think killing Ulfric will end the war?!" Johann shouted back, pushing Hadvar's hand out of his face, "You'll just turn him into a martyr for the rebellion! The Jarls supporting him will take command and fight on in his name! If you kill Ulfric this war will never truly end!"

"So what?!" Hadvar asked, throwing his arms out to his sides in exasperation, "We just stand down and give into his demands?! He killed the High King! He started this war! Are you saying we should just surrender and leave?!"

"Two things," Ralof said as he walked over to Johann and Hadvar, "One: you don't know for sure Torygg is dead, he disappeared in the duel but there wasn't enough evidence to say he was dead. And two: the sooner we drive you Imperial bastards out of Skyrim, the sooner we can get ready for the next war with those Thalmor sons-of-whores!"

Hadvar turned to Ralof and was about to shout something else in his face, before Johann punched his right fist in the air above and released a gout of fire from it. When they both turned back to him, he spoke again.

"Look, this isn't important now," Johann said, no longer shouting, but his voice still had an edge to it, "I dragged you both in here because I need you to help me get everyone out of this, Stormcloak and Imperial."

Ralof raised a brow at him and Hadvar crossed his arms over his chest, neither one of them very open to the idea.

"And why should we work together, let alone help you?" Hadvar asked, suspicion in his voice, "We don't even know who you are."

"My name is Johann Storm-Rider, of Whiterun Hold," Johann declared, pride in voice, "and I'm just trying to help."

This caused both Hadvar and Ralof to each raise a brow in confusion.

"Storm-Rider?" Ralof asked, "That clan left Skyrim years ago, what are you doing here now?"

"Not important," Johann continued, "I know you have no reason to trust me, and I know if I wasn't trying to stop, you'd be trying to kill each other, but now is not the time to be fighting among ourselves."

A muffled roar could be heard through the stone walls making up the keep, causing all three Nords to look to the ceiling, dust shaking down on top of them as they did. Both men then looked back to Johann, who hid any anxiety about addressing two soldiers older then him with determination in his tone.

"That Dragon has already cost a lot of people their homes and their lives, and it's going to take a lot more lives if we don't get the people still in this keep moving. I need you both to help me convince any Stormcloaks and Imperials to come with us, if they see you working together, and with a little explanation, we could convince them to leave together. So what do you say? Will you help me?"

Ralof brought his hand up and cupped his chin, Hadvar just crossed his arms, both considering Johann's idea and outlook, before Ralof broke the silence first.

"Even if we agree to this," he began, "how are you so sure any of our comrades will be willing to come with us? They could call us traitors and try to kill us."

"We talk to them first," Johann said, "if they won't see reason, leave it to me."

Ralof pursed his lips before turning to Hadvar.

"I'm going to give his plan a try, what about you?"

Hadvar tilted his head to the side and shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose it's not a bad move, considering the circumstances."

Johann smiled at this, he honestly hadn't expected to get the two men to put aside their differences, he thought he'd have to throw one of them back outside and move through the keep with the other.

"Great, now that that's settled," Johann clapped his hands together, before turning to Hadvar, "do you know how to get out of this room without going outside?"

Hadvar looked to his left and pointed to a wooden gate in the wall opposite the door they came in.

"That hallway will lead us to the keep's main entrance," he declared, "from there, we'll have to head into the lower chambers and look for a way out."

"Better then sticking around here waiting for the Dragon to bring the tower down on our heads," Ralof said as he moved toward the gate, "let's get moving."

Ralof pulled down on a small hanging chain, activating a mechanism in the wall, and lowering the gate. As the three Nords stepped into the hall, they began to hear voices echoing down toward them.

"We need to keep moving," a man's voice declared, "that Dragon was right behind us!"

"Just give me a moment," a woman's voice asked, followed by the sound of deep breathing, "I'm out of breath."

"I recognize those voices," Ralof whispered as the three of them tried to stay out of the line-of-sight through the gate, "Those two are part of Ulfric's guard."

"Stormcloaks," Hadvar said quietly, before looking back to Johann, "Alright Storm-Rider, what's your plan?"

"Ralof goes out there first and you and I follow," Johann said, "hopefully they'll listen to reason with him at the front."

"And if they don't?" Hadvar asked, his tone showing no faith the Stormcloaks would listen to reason.

"Then I'll handle it," the young Nord answered, his tone growing sharp, "now let's go."

Hadvar pulled down on the chain, opening the gate and allowing Ralof to enter the next room, followed by Johann.

Inside the circular room were two Stormcloak troops, a man and a woman. The woman was resting her back against the wall trying to catch her breath, while the man had his greatsword in his right hand as he looked to the recently opened gate on his right. Initially he was on guard when he heard the gate lower, but relaxed when he saw Ralof walk in. However, his guard went back up when he saw Hadvar and another unknown person follow him in.

"Ralof! Behind you!" the male Stormcloak shouted, before charging at Hadvar with his massive blade held high.

Noticing the man's intent, Johann stamped his foot into the ground, causing a stone wall to shoot up and block the Stormcloak's path to Hadvar. As the man slammed into the wall, before attempting to pick himself up, the Stormcloak woman glared at Hadvar, before looking to Ralof for answers. Ralof was looking at the stone wall Johann raised with great interest, before turning to the young Nord.

"So that's why Ulfric called you an Earthbender," Ralof said, somewhat astonished, "you bend the rock and earth to your will."

Johann widened his eyes when Ralof said that. Did that mean Ulfric knew something about him? Maybe about what he can really do? These thoughts were interrupted when the other Stormcloak, the woman, spoke up.

"Ralof, what's going on? Who's this boy? And why's he protecting that Imperial?" she asked, confusion and a small amount of anger in her voice.

"It's his idea," Ralof declares, pointing at Johann with his left hand, "he says surviving a Dragon attack is more important then the war, and at the moment, I agree with him."

"So what? Now we're following some pup?" the male Stormcloak asked as his female comrade helped him to his feet, "does he expect us to just drop our weapons and make peace with the Imperials?!"

"I'm not asking you to give up your war and your beliefs!" Johann nearly shouted as he glared at the man, before pointing at Ralof, "All I'm asking is for you to follow your ally and not attack any Imperial soldiers unless they attack. I'm going to get as many people out of this mess alive as I can, whether they like it or not."

"And if we don't agree?" the woman asked as her comrade dusted off his armor.

Johann stamped his foot down and made a rock twice the size of his fist hover in the air next to him, and he had his right arm cocked back, like he was ready to throw a punch.

"Then I'll knock you out and drag you out of here if I have to."

The Stormcloaks looked to Johann, to the rock he had aimed at them, to Ralof, who had a serious look on his face, and finally to each other. They looked at each other right in the eye for a short moment, before nodding and looking back to Johann.

"We'll go with you... for now," the male Stormcloak said, before looking to Ralof with respect, and to Hadvar with contempt, "but if that Imperial tries anything, I will kill him."

"I'm sure he'd say the same thing to you if he was in your place," Johann said as he dropped his stance and let the stone fall back into the floor.

"So, how _are_ we getting out of here?" the female Stormcloak asked, her question directed at Johann, but her eyes locked on Hadvar, daring him to give her a reason to kill him.

"We have two choices," Hadvar spoke up for the time since entering the room, "We can either go deeper into the Keep and look for a way out there, or we can take our chances outside and hope we can outrun a Dragon."

Ralof walked over to the barred gate and rattled the door, "The damn thing's locked, can you break it open?" he asked Johann.

"Don't bother," Hadvar said, raising a hand, "I have a key." He pulled a small metal key from a pouch on his belt, slid it into the lock on the door, and the door opened wide.

"That works too," Ralof said, "now come on! Let's get out of here before that Dragon brings the whole tower down on our heads!"

The growing group walked into the next room, with a stairway to the left leading down to another door. Johann led the way, with Ralof behind him, followed by Hadvar and the Stormcloaks, who glared at Hadvar from behind, like they were trying to burn holes in him with only their gaze. The doorway at the bottom of the stairs led into a long hallway with two doors on the left side. Before they could make their way down however, they heard the Dragon Roar again, and the ceiling collapsed in front of them.

"Look out!" Ralof yelled as he pulled Johann away by the collar of his shirt.

After pulling himself to his feet and dusting himself off, Johann looked forward to find the hallway blocked by a landslide of rocks.

"Now what?" asked the male Stormcloak from behind him.

"I can try to push the rocks out of the way..." Johann said as he started to drop into his stance. Before he could do anything though, Hadvar interrupted again.

"No need," he said, pushing open the unblocked door on the left, "This storeroom runs alongside this hallway, we can go through here and try to get through the other doorway."

"Better then pushing through all that rock, which might bring more crashing down on us," Ralof said as he shrugged.

Johann walked into the storeroom Hadvar had opened, filled with barrels, boxes, a fireplace, and a table and some chairs.

"We need to move! Dragon's burning everything to the ground!"

They weren't alone however. An pair of Imperial troops were standing next to a stack of barrels, with one in steel armor yelling at the other, who was clad in leather armor, as the lighter-armored soldier was digging through a barrel.

"Just need to gather more potions! We'll need them!" the soldier in the barrel yelled back.

Before the heavy troop could retort, he noticed Johann and the Stormcloaks, along with Hadvar, then drawing his sword.

"Stormcloaks! Filthy tra-" his eyes darted to Hadvar, "You're part of the General's guard! What's going on here?!"

"A temporary truce," Hadvar said simply, gesturing to Johann, "If you want answers, ask the young one here."

The heavy troop looked to Johann with confusion as the leather-armored troop pulled himself out of the barrel to face the newcomers with suspicion.

"You said it yourself, the Dragon's burning everything to the ground," Johann pointed out, "I just want to get as many people out of here as possible. I don't care about sides."

"You expect us to simply trust each other, as if we haven't been fighting each other for months? Not a chance in Oblivion!" the leather-armored Imperial declared as he drew his sword and charged, rushing at the Stormcloaks.

Before he could reach any of them however, Johann stepped between them and threw an open-palm strike at the Imperial, throwing a blast of wind at the Legionaire and sending him flying back and hitting the barrel he was just searching moments before. Johann returned to an idle stance as the heavy troop just stared at what happened.

"I am not going to let your stubbornness cost more lives when that Dragon is causing more then enough trouble," Johann said, glaring at the fallen Imperial as he picked himself up, "now come on, or would rather stay here and possibly get crushed by collapsing roofs while we leave?"

The leather-armored Imperial was about to say something, but the one in heavy armor looked at him and shook his head, before turning back to Johann.

"I'll go along with this... for now," he said warily, raising a hand in the light-armored Legionaire's direction when he tried to retort, "but if you try anything I'll-"

"Kill one of the Stormcloaks?" Johann answered for him, earning him a glare, "They said something along those lines too."

Before anyone else could say anything, Johann moved through the other rest of the room, ignoring the barrel of potions the Imperials were searching, letting them have their supplies.

The rest of the storeroom was stocked with various goods for cooking, mostly vegetables and dried meats. Opposite the food stores, was another door, hopefully still clear despite the ceiling caving in.

Thankfully, when Johann opened the door, he found the rock pile stopped about a foot away from the door, looking like the end result of a landslide. He looked down the other way, leading to a corner with torches lining the walls.

"What's down that way?" Johann asked Hadvar as the Imperial walked into the hallway.

"The Torture Room. Gods, I wish we didn't need to go down there," he replied, his voice grim.

Johann was running down the hall before Hadvar finished speaking, as sounds of battle could be heard echoing into the hall.

As he ran into the Torture room, he found two Stormcloaks, another man and woman, with weapons pointed at two Imperials. One was an elder man with a hood on instead of the standard helmet, while the other was a middle-aged man with no helmet or bracers, wielding a mace. The Stormcloak woman was swinging a battleaxe over her head as she charged toward the old man, who was charging a lightening spell aimed at her. At the same time, the other Stormcloak, wielding a greatsword, was currently locked in a stalemate with the other Imperial, his weapon braced against the shaft of the man's mace, both trying to push each other down and break the standoff.

While the others ran to catch up, Johann quickly stepped forward and slammed his foot down while raising his right arm up. A wall of bricks and rock rose from the ground between the Imperial mage and the Stormcloak maiden charging him. The lightening spell hit the wall, leaving behind a minor scorch mark on his side, while the woman took one hand off her weapon and pushed against the new wall, stopping her charge but not injuring her.

Both the combatants look surprised as a wall sprung out of nowhere, also drawing the attention of the other men in the room, who lowered their weapons as their confusion about the situation took hold. All present in the room turned to see Johann, quickly realizing he was the one who raised the wall, looking at him in confusion, which only increased as his group of Stormcloaks and Imperial Troops finally followed him down the stairs and entered the room.

"What is going on here?! Are these Stormcloaks trying to defect?" the Imperial Mage asked, his voice laced with confusion and a trace of anger.

The male Stormcloak from Johann's group tried to speak up and put down the Imperial, only for Ralof to raise an arm and shake his head in the man's direction, before turning back to Johann to watch his reaction.

"No one is defecting," Johann declared as he shook his head, "a Dragon is attacking the Keep, and we've put aside our differences aside to get as many people out of here alive as we can."

"A Dragon? Please! What kind of fool do you take me for?!" the Imperial Mage said, before charging lightening in his hand once more and aiming his hands at Johann.

As he waved Johann off, the young Nord drew his right arm back, before throwing an open palm strike at the older man, sending a blast of air at the older man and throwing him against one of the cages in the back. Before the man could get up, Johann ran across the room and gave him a right hook to the left side of his head, knocking the man out. Johann turned back to the rest of the people in the room as they looked at him wide-eyed, while he just focused on the new Stormcloaks and the Imperial.

"You three have any problems with my plan?" Johann asked.

The two Nords and Imperial quickly shook their heads.

"Good. You mind carrying your boss?" Johann asked the Imperial with the mace.

The man shook his head again and walked over, quickly scooping the older man up and placing him over his shoulder. The others filed through the room and started walking toward the hall on the other side of the room. Ralof walked over to Johann, looking as if he was about to say something, before something in a nearby cage caught his attention.

"Wait a second, looks like there's something in this cage!" Ralof said as he tried to open the cage, only to find the door locked.

"Oh, that guy. He left Winterhold's College after stealing some rare book," the Imperial with the mage over his shoulder commented, "apparently the Librarian put a bounty on his head not long after. A patrol caught him trying to cross the border, and we threw him in there... lost the key not long after, poor bastard."

Johann looked back at the man with a slightly concerned look, before turning back to Ralof, who was trying to offer him a small bag of lockpicks.

"See if you can get it open with these picks, we might need that gold once we get out," he said, before Johann raised his hand and shook his head.

"I've got a better method," Johann declared.

Looking around the room, Johann found a small mug of water next to a rucksack and a black leather book on a nearby table. Reaching out toward the cup and then pulling his arm back, the water was pulled out of the cup and almost followed Johann's hand movements as he guided the tendril into the lock on the cage's door. He then leaned his head toward the lock and breathed deeply into the keyhole after the water was pushed inside. The lock expanded as water turned to ice, causing the mechanism inside to shatter under the sudden pressure. Johann kicked the lock with his foot and the lock shattered.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Ralof asked as Johann opened the door.

"Something I picked up as a child, not important now," Johann said as he walked into the cage and looked over what the man had.

On the floor of the cage, there was a small pouch of gold, a spell book with the insignia of the School of Destruction, and the dead mage's satchel had some potions for restoring magical energy. Johann quickly packed away all he found, before exiting the cage and walking toward the table with the mug he took the water from. He searched the rucksack and found a few potions for restoring health, before he looked at the book next to it. The book had a black leather cover with the insignia seen on Imperial weapons and armor, a roaring dragon with wings forming a shape similar to a diamond.

"Is this the book he stole?" Johann asked the Imperial carrying the older mage.

"Besides the Spell Book, it's the only one he had on him, so I guess so," the man replied.

Johann opened the book and read the title page, _The Book of the Dragonborn_, before placing the book in his rucksack carefully. Could be interesting to read it, and the College might be grateful to him if he returned the book.

Johann took the lead as the group walked through the halls, past a number of prison cells and down some stairs into a room filled with cages hanging from the room. Normally there would by no way out, however there was a massive hole in the wall, leading to a natural cavern with torches lining the wall. Nobody said a word as they walked through the cavern, leading to an underground stream with a stone path around the area. The path led to a stone tunnel in the wall with a wooden drawbridge inside.

Johann entered first and pulled on a lever on the ground next to him, lowering the drawbridge in front of him as Ralof, Hadvar, and the others filed into the tunnel. He stepped onto the drawbridge and lead the others across... until disaster struck again.

Another roar was heard through the stone, and the ceiling above the drawbridge gave way, with a massive rock falling and crushing the drawbridge just after the last one made it across.

"No going back that way now," Ralof declared as everyone looked back to see their path blocked.

"We'll just have to keep pushing on until we find a way out," Hadvar said as he looked out over the new area they were in.

They found themselves in another cavern with another stream running through and off into a tunnel. This appeared to be as far as anyone had built structures under the keep, with stairs leading down to the stream from the landing outside the tunnel with the drawbridge.

Johann quietly led the group of Stormcloaks and Imperials through the cave, following the stream as it flowed through the cavern. Eventually it lead to a dead end, with water seeping through an opening in the lowest part of the rocks. Fortunately, there was another tunnel branching off nearby.

Unfortunately, the area was a nest for Frostbite Spiders.

Three Spiders, each the size of a dog, walked around the floor, while two Spiders the size of a small horse lowered themselves down from the ceiling on webbing. One of the three smaller Spiders was a bit close to the entrance, and heard the group's footsteps, alerting the other Spiders to their presence.

Before anyone could do anything, Johann stepped forward and threw a fist as he breathed out, unleashing a small fireball, which flew into the maw of the first small Spider, killing it instantly. Another Spider raised it's maw to shoot poison, only to be hit with another fireball, this one form Johann's left fist, ending it just like the first. The third small Spider stood between the two larger Spiders, only for Johann to swing his leg and unleash a wave of fire in a wide arc, killing the last small Spider while setting the remaining large Spiders on fire. The Spiders screamed in pain for a moment as they moved closer to Johann, before they were each hit with another fireball in the maw, killing them both instantly.

As Johann leaned against the side of the tunnel to catch his breath, the entire group just stared at him.

"Do you want to get out of here, or just stare at me all day?" Johann deadpanned, before walking off a side tunnel.

The side tunnel leading out of the Spider Nest lead to a larger cavern with a stream running through the area, dividing the cavern in half. Johann walked across a small land bridge across the stream, and was about to step forward when Ralof dropped down to a crouch.

"Hold up!" he whispered quickly, "there's a bear just ahead. See her?"

Johann looked up ahead, and sure enough, on the other side of the stream, a black bear was resting on the ground, fast asleep.

"If we're quiet and watch our step," Hadvar began, "we may be able to slip past. Just take it slow and watch your step."

Johann followed Ralof's example and crouched down, slowly walking across the cavern, only finally standing up when he reached the entrance to another connecting tunnel. Ralof followed first, then Hadvar, then everyone else one by one, as they all made their way past the sleeping bear. The Heavy-Armored-Imperial was slower then the rest, due to the weight of his equipment and how much noise the metal could moved faster.

After everyone was across, Ralof just wiped his hand across his forehead as he wiped the sweat away. Johann walked down the next tunnel and saw light peering through an opening up ahead.

"That looks like the way out!" Johann cried out as he ran toward the opening with the others behind him.

* * *

**Finally done, that took forever, but the first steps are always the hardest.**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except original characters.**

**Reviews:**

**Guest: I know Skyrim can't win a war on their own, and I've got a plan for that, which will come into effect much later on.**

* * *

**Book 1: Tamriel**

**Chapter 3: Whiterun Hold**

* * *

_"Whiterun offers numerous diversions for the man in search of adventure, fortune, and companionship, whether for a night or for a lifetime."_

\- Excerpt from _A Gentleman's Guide to Whiterun_

* * *

**17th of Last Seed, 201 4E**

**Southwest of Helgen, Falkreath Hold, Skyrim**

As Johann stepped out of the cave and into the sunlight, he found himself looking out over a forest of pine trees filling the valley between the mountains separating Falkreath Hold from the rest of Skyrim. It was a sight to behold...

...until the Dragon flew over everyone's heads and made Johann drop into a stance.

"Wait!" Ralof ordered as both he and Hadvar crouched down behind some rocks near the cave entrance. The rest of the Stormcloak and Imperial troops remained in the shadows of the cave entrance as everyone waited for the Dragon's next move.

The Dragon made no move to show he knew of their presence, instead flying north, over the mountains separating Whiterun from Falkreath Hold.

"There he goes, looks like he's gone for good this time," Ralof declared as he stepped out of his cover with Hadvar next to him.

"What happens now?" the assistant from the Torture room asked, still carrying the unconscious body of the Torturer.

"Now we go our separate ways," Johann declared as he stood up straight and turned back to face the men and women gathered. "The Stormcloaks will go east and make their way into the Rift, while the Imperials will head south to Falkreath," Johann pointed in the respective directions as spoke them.

"What about you?" Hadvar asked while he looked at the mountains to the North, the same direction the Dragon flew off in.

"I'm going to Whiterun, someone needs to tell the Jarl there's a Dragon on the loose and heading his way," Johann said as he began walking down the path leading away from the cave. The Imperials began to walk south, into the forest and toward Falkreath, while the Stormcloaks trudged off into the hills to the East, towards the Rift.

Eventually the dirt path leading away from the cave, shown only by a lack of grass, gave way to an actual road made from stone. A large pole stuck out of the ground, with three signs pointing in the two directions the road followed, one pointing southwest, labeled Falkreath, the other two pointing in opposite directions, one labeled, Helgen, and the other, Riverwood. When Johann was about to start walking north, he found Ralof and Hadvar running up behind him.

"Aren't you going back with your comrades?" Johann asked.

"Closest town from here is Riverwood," Hadvar explained as Ralof shook his head, "we both grew up there, and our families still live there."

"My sister Gerdur and his uncle Alvor," Ralof added, "I'm sure they'd help you out, give you some supplies for the road to Whiterun."

Johann nodded as the two older Nords walked down the road, taking the lead.

The road lead west for a short time, bordered on both sides by pine trees swaying in the breeze. Both Hadvar and Ralof stopped however, when a break in the trees gave way to a view of a massive ruin, built into a mountain across the valley.

"See that ruin up there?" Ralof asked, "Bleak Falls Barrow. I never could understand how my sister could stand living in the shadow of that place."

"I know, "Hadvar added, "I used to have nightmares about it. Things like Draugr creeping in through my windows at night."

Johann understood how they felt, when he was a child living in Whiterun, he always stayed far away from the Hall of the Dead. The very design of the crypts would send chills up his back, even though the Priest of Arkay, a man named Andurs, made sure the dead rested.

The three Nords continued down the road without any further words, following the switchback down the hill as the birds sang and the running river dominated the sounds heard. This left Johann to his thoughts, running through the events of the past day in his head. He might have just committed treason against the Empire by saving Ulfric, survived an attack by the first Dragon seen in centuries, and convinced soldiers from two sides in a war to cooperate with each other for mutual survival.

Not exactly a boring first day back in Skyrim.

Johann almost bumped into Hadvar and Ralof as they stopped at the end of the last switchback, with a ledge on the side of the road giving way to an impressive view of Lake Ilinalta. On the ledge was a stone foundation shaped like a triangle, with three stone monoliths in each of the three corners. Each monolith was identical; pointed at the top with a hole through it at two thirds of it height. The only difference between them was the carving on the body of it, below the hole. The one on the right had a carving of a man in armor with a battleaxe over his shoulder, the one in the middle had a man dressed in robes holding a book as energy swirled around him, and the one on the left had a man dressed in light armor, with a hood and cowl over his head to disguise his appearance.

These were the Guardian Stones, three of thirteen Standing Stones found across Skyrim, each one connected to a constellation in the night sky. Twelve of the Constellations, and by extension the Stones, corresponded to a month in the Calendar, except for the Serpent, which had malevolent connotation to most people. It's said that one's constellation grants someone special attributes in life, but it's not common study for anyone other then an astronomer. For example, those like Johann, born in the third month of the year, First Seed, were born under the sign of the Lord, and are believed to be stronger and healthier then those born under the other signs.

"Oh that's right, this road passes the Guardian Stones," Hadvar observed as they approached.

"Haven't seen these in a long time, not since I left for Windhelm," Ralof added as he turned back to face Johann, "Why don't you take a look, the stones grant blessings to those who touch them."

Johann blinked in surprise, he'd never read anything about the Standing Stones granting blessings to people, only that they were connected to the constellations. Never the less, he stepped onto the foundation between the three stones, looking between the trio of Pillars around him. The ways of the Thief never appealed to him, sneaking around and stabbing people was not how an honorable Nord dealt with problems. The ways of the Mage were something he already dabbled in, if controlling air, water, earth, and fire counted as arcane arts, but beyond that he had no real interest. That left the ways of the Warrior, combat in heavy armor with blades and axes, definitely appealing to most people in Skyrim.

Johann placed his hand on the Warrior Stone, and a bright blue light traced lines between dots on the carving, mimicking the stars that made the constellation. The light shined through the hole in the upper portion off the pillar, before shooting up and off into the sky over their heads.

"Warrior!" Ralof declared as both he and Hadvar smiled, "Good! Those stars will guide you to honor and glory!"

The two Nords turned around and walked down the road, Johann only following after watching the blue light dissipate. The road ran along the rushing river next to them, with water from Lake Ilinalta running down from here until it eventually fed into rivers around Whiterun. On the other side of the road was a small forest pushed up against the mountain, with the occasional wolf howl heard echoing between the trees.

As Johann looked between the two Nords leading him down the road, he thought about how he convinced these two to work together. Though they were both ready to kill each other back at the Keep, they listened to what Johann had to say and joined him in his plan. Ralof said they both had family in Riverwood, and it seemed like they knew each other before today, so that meant they had a past.

"Did you grow up in Riverwood together?" Johann asked as they all walked down the road. Both men looked back at him and Ralof answered.

"Yes, we did," he said, "smart lad to figure that out on your own."

"How did you end up on opposite sides of the war?" Johann continued.

"My father was a Legionaire, so was his father, I never imagined doing anything else," Hadvar explained as the group passed a small cliff hanging over the road.

"I probably would have joined him, if things turned out differently," Ralof began, "my cousin disappeared one night, some thought the Thalmor grabbed him, wasn't long before I found myself under Ulfric's banner."

"Is that why you followed me so easily? Because you're old friends?" Johann asked.

Both men looked at each other as they walked, then shrugged and looked back at Johann.

"That, and you thinking clearly in a bad situation, you were doing what we all should have thought of when faced with a Dragon," Hadvar explained.

"Also, Ulfric sounded impressed with you when he saw you fight a squad of Legionaires and hit a gang of Thalmor with an avalanche uphill," Ralof added, "so I wanted to know more."

"You plan to tell Ulfric about me when you report to Windhelm?" Johann asked as he frowned. If Ulfric was interested in him, it probably meant he'd have recruiters coming for him, trying to get him to join the Stormcloaks.

Ralof shrugged, "Either that, or I make something up, and that's not how I work... unless I've had some mead."

The three continued down the road in silence until they came to a wooden wall with a walkway on top of it. Beyond the wall was a small number of houses lining the road, with a small number of people milling between them as they went about their business. As they passed the gate, to the left was a small wood bridge leading to a little island in the middle of the river, upon which there was a sawmill with waterwheel turning with the river's current. The road between the buildings was mostly clear, save for a wooden cart outside a two-story house on the right, along with a few people going about their business.

Two children, a boy and a girl, were playing a game of tag, the boy was chasing the girl while a wolfhound followed after the boy like a loyal dog. A Wood Elf man was carrying a load of firewood in his arms as he walked toward the a house on the left side of the road, just ahead of the bridge leading to the mill, with a forge built in an enclosure attached to the house. In a house on the right, just beyond the gate, an older woman was working a tanning rack on the porch of her house, while a younger man with blonde hair was walking down the road.

As Johann, Ralof, and Hadvar walked past the gate, the older woman called out in the direction of the younger man.

"A Dragon! I saw a Dragon!" she cried out.

The younger man turned around and faced the woman, taking a few steps back toward the house.

"What? What is it now mother?" the Nord said.

"It was as big as the mountain and black as night! It flew right over the barrow!" she declared vehemently.

"Dragons now is it mother?" the man brushed off as he rolled his eyes, "Please, mother, if you keep going on like this, everyone in town will think you're crazy. And I've got better things to do then listen to your rambling."

The son walked off in the direction he was heading before his mother started, his mother glaring at his back.

"You'll see! It was a Dragon! It'll kill us all and then you'll believe me!" she shouted after her son.

Ralof and Hadvar watched the whole scene until the man walked off.

"Looks like nobody knows what's happened yet," Hadvar said, before pointing to the nearby forge, "Come on, my uncle is right over there."

"I'll go fetch Gerdur and bring her to the forge, " Ralof said as he headed over the bridge leading toward the sawmill.

Johann followed Hadvar as he approached the forge, where an older Nord worked placed a piece of hot metal on the anvil and hit it with a hammer. He had an apron on over a red shirt and brown pants, and he had a dirty blond beard covering most of his lower face, complete with a shoulder length haircut.

"Uncle Alvor, hello!" Hadvar announced his presence to the Blacksmith.

Alvor looked up from his forge and his eyes widened when he saw Hadvar.

"Hadvar! It's good to see you! Though, what are you doing here? Are you on leave from the Legion?" Alvor asked as he stepped away from the forge and walked over to the railing around the forge's enclosure.

"Uncle, Uncle, I'll explain everything as soon as Ralof gets here with his sister," Hadvar said as he tried to placate his Uncle's curiousity.

Before Alvor could ask why his nephew was with Ralof, a Stormcloak soldier, said Nord returned from across the bridge with a woman in a green dress with the same complexion and hair color, only with a longer haircut doing down her mid-back.

"Hadvar?" the new woman said, clearly surprised, "What's going on? I never thought I'd see you and Hadvar in the same town again without one of you in chains."

"Neither did I," Alvor added, before noticing Johann and turning to him, "and who's this boy? Why is he here?"

Johann frowned at being called a boy - he was a young man, not a boy - before stepping away from the group.

"There's no time, I need to get going," Johann declared before taking a few steps toward the road, only to be stopped by Ralof calling after him.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ralof asked loudly.

"To Whiterun!" Johann declared as he turned around to face the group, "Jarl Balgruuf needs to be warned about Helgen as soon as possible!"

Before anyone in the group could protest, Johann ran off down the road, passing two buildings with signs handing outside, one marked as a General Store, the other as an Inn, before passing through another wall with a gate.

* * *

**Plains outside Whiterun**

After nearly half an hour of walking through the hills between riverwood and whiterun, Johann was just outside the city of Whiterun. The city itself was built in a large hill in the center of a valley, with massive walls built around the edge of the hill, with only one gate leading in and out, protecting those inside from anything Skyrim could throw at them.

At least until now.

With Dragons in the sky, those walls wouldn't be worth a damn, and if Jarl or anyone in his court was going to come up with a solution, they needed to know what was going on. That was why Johann was running down the road to the west, heading for the city gate, passing by one of several farms around the city.

He only stopped when he heard a crash, like a stone smashing into the dirt. He looked up over the stone wall separating the road and the farmland.

There was a giant with a huge club fighting three warriors, a woman in scaled armor armed with a bow, a man dressed in heavy steel armor armed with a greatsword, and another woman in scaled armor armed with a longsword and shield. The swordsman and swordswoman were fighting the giant up close, hacking at his legs while the woman with the bow was trying to land arrows his torso, all while the giant was trying to club his attackers with a massive hammer made from wood and stone.

Without another thought, Johann jumped over the stone and ran toward the Giant with both arms raised, his sword still attached to his belt. He stamped a foot in the ground while throwing his left arm forward and pulling his right arm back, making the ground beneath the Giant's feet rotate, turning the Giant around to face the open plains to the west. He then threw an open palm strike and sent a blast of air at the Giant's back, forcing him forward a few steps toward the plains.

While all this happened, the three warriors stopped in their tracks and watched as Johann tried to chase off the Giant, all of them looking either confused, annoyed, or a mix of both.

"Go back home! We'll leave you alone! Just please go home!" Johann shouted as he stamped his foot in the ground and raised his arms, causing a massive chunk of rock and dirt, about three times as big as him, to rise from the ground behind him.

Johann killed his first person a few hours ago, and he'd learned one thing from that experience.

He was going to do everything he could to avoid killing another living person.

Thankfully, the Giant seemed to get the message and started walking off toward the plains, not wanting to challenge someone with as much power as he'd been shown.

Johann breathed a sigh of relief, releasing his hold on the earth and letting it fall to the ground as he bent over with his hands on his knees and panted from the exertion, moving giants was not easy, with earth or air. While he was trying to catch his breath, three pairs of boots walked over and stood in front of him, likely the three warriors from earlier, given the fact they were wearing boots instead of shoes.

"Well, that's one way to take care of it, not how I would have done it, but still, it's done," a woman's voice declared.

Johann stood up at his full height after catching his breath, looking at the man and women in front of him.

The woman who just spoke to him was a redheaded Nord with three marks painted onto her face, like a bear's claws slashed into her face from the upper left to the lower right, colored blue. She wore a set of scaled armor with a goat's head reaching over and covering the pauldron on her left shoulder, and she had a bow and a quiver of arrows peeking over her right shoulder, strapped on with leather belts.

The other woman had darker skin and hair, likely an Imperial given the shape of her face. She also wore scaled armor, but without the goat head on her left shoulder, and she had a circular shield on her back and a sword sheathed at her hip.

The man, another Nord, was wearing a set of steel armor with wolf motifs and black fur lining, with a greatsword sheathed in a harness on his back. He had shoulder-length dark hair and dark war paint around his eyes, accenting his silver eyes.

"Johann?" the heavily armored man asked.

"Farkas?" Johann asked in response.

Farkas widened his eyes as he recognized Johann, while the two women with him looked confused.

"You know this boy, Farkas?" the Nord woman asked.

"His father, Leland, was one of our number, twenty years ago, before either of us were even whelps," Farkas explained as he nodded, "He used to come talk to Kodlak all the time, after he joined the City Guard, and he brought along two whelps of his own sometimes."

"Wait, your father is Leland Storm-Rider? The one who fought alongside Kodlak and Skjor against the one-hundred and one Orc Berserkers?!" asked the Imperial Woman.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Cyrodiil?" Farkas asked, without waiting for Johann to answer the woman.

"Long story, I'd love to tell you, but I need to get to Dragonsreach, the Jarl needs to know about Helgen!" Johann started moving toward the stables and the road to the city gate.

The three Companions just stood there and watched as the young Nord ran toward the City, the women looking at Farkas for an explanation.

"He was always shy as a whelp, guess that hasn't changed," Farkas explained.

Johann ran up the road leading to the city gates, passing the stables, a caravan run by Khajiit, the cat-folk of Elsweyr, and a drawbridge. As he reached the top of the hill, and the gate to the city, he was stopped by a man wearing the armor of a Whiterun Guard.

"Halt! City is closed with the Dragons about. Official business only," the guard declared sternly.

"I have important information for the Jarl! Helgen has been attacked by a Dragon and it was seen near Riverwood!" Johann explained in a firm tone, trying to convince the guard to let him in.

"Riverwood is in danger too?" the guard asked, surprised, "You'd better go on in! You'll find the Jarl in Dragonsreach, at the top of the hill."

"Don't have to tell me that," Johann muttered as he rushed through the gate as the guards opened it.

* * *

**Dragonsreach**

Jarl Balgruuf was not having a good day.

Once again, he received missives from both the Imperial Legions and the Stormcloaks, both requesting he join them and allow them to garrison troops in his city. While that would relieve his own guards, who were stretched thin patrolling the city and the farms, he was not willing to take a side in the war, and sent his own missives refusing them, again.

As if that wasn't enough, his daughter Dagny was whining about not having a new dress yet, and his younger son Nelkir was still angry and hateful with him. At least Frothar, his oldest son was acting more mature and not causing any trouble, so that was something.

And now, news was just reaching them that the town of Helgen had been destroyed, by a Dragon no less! He would have dismissed this as rumor, if not for the fact that Legion Troops were seen escorting civilians to Falkreath from the west, and several guards reported hearing what sounded like a large creature roaring.

This was what he was discussing with his steward and his housecarl, Proventus Avenicci and Irileth, respectively.

"My lord. Please. You have to listen," Proventus said respectfully, "I only counsel caution. We cannot afford to act rashly in times like these. If the news from Helgen is true... well, there's no telling what it means."

"What would you have me do, then? Nothing?" Balgruuf countered in a stern manner.

"My lord. Please. This is no time for rash action. I just think we need more information before we act," Proventus responded in a placating tone, "I just..."

Proventus was cut off as Irileth suddenly stepped away from Balgruuf's side and walked toward the entrance of the hall. Both men looked in the direction she was moving, to find a young Nord standing at the other end of the fire pit in front of the Jarl's throne. He had pale skin, blue eyes, dirty blonde shoulder-length hair in a curly mess, and he was wearing a tan vest over a blue shirt with a pair of tan pants tucked into a pair of light yellow boots. He also had a backpack on and a steel sword strapped to his belt with no sheathe.

"Who's this then?" Balgruuf asked as he narrowed his eyes. The young man looked familiar, but he couldn't be who he was thinking of, that boy was in Cyrodiil.

"What's the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors." Irileth stated in a firm tone as she stopped in front of the boy with her sword unsheathed and in her hand.

"I bring news from Helgen about the Dragon attack, I need to speak to the Jarl at once."

Balgruuf widened his eyes as he heard the young man speak, not caring as much about what he said as much as he recognized his voice, '_He sounds just like...'_

"Irileth, let him through! I want to hear what he has to say!" Balgruuf shouted before Irileth could say anything.

The Dark Elf woman frowned as she placed her sword in it's sheathe at her hip and walked back to Balgruuf's side. The young man walked forward and around the fire pit, before stopping and standing in front of the Jarl.

"Johann?" Balgruuf asked as he widened his eyes while he looked over the young man. He looked just like his father when he was younger, and he even sounded very similar to him as well.

"Yes, it's me," Johann said as he smiled lightly, "Nice to see you again, Uncle Balgruuf." Though there was no official connection between the Storm-Rider Clan and the Jarl's family, Balgruuf had been friends and Shield-Brothers with Leland Storm-Rider since they were both children. When he eventually took the throne as Jarl, he made several former comrades part of his court, installing Irileth as his Housecarl, by her own request, and Leland as Captain of the City Guard.

"Look at you! You've grown so much in the past ten years!" Balgruuf declared proudly as he stood up from his throne and opened his arms in welcome, "You look just like your father when he was your age!"

"My lord, this is the former Guard Captain's son?" Proventus asked as he turned his head to Balgruuf.

"Huh, I thought you looked familiar, your father gave you much, but your mother gave you plenty as well," Irileth observed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Johann scratched at the back of his head and donned an awkward smile as the three elder men and mer talked about him, he wasn't used to being the unimpeded subject of attention. Thankfully, Balgruuf brought them back to the topic he was here to talk about.

"You said you had news about Helgen? What happened?" Balgruuf asked as he sat back down on his throne," The last thing we heard was that the Imperial Legion evacuated all the townsfolk to Falkreath."

Johann grits his teeth lightly as he thinks over his next words, "Well, it all started this morning when I'd crossed the border into Falkreath... and then I ran into Ulfric Stormcloak and some of his men right when they were ambushed by Imperial Troops..."

"What?!" Balgruuf exclaimed while his eyes widened, as did Irileth's and Proventus'.

"While an Officer was shouting about Ulfric," Johann continued, "one of the Legionaires saw me and thought I was another Stormcloak, and then the officer ordered his men to arrest me too."

Balgruuf dropped his jaw at Johann's situation, "What did you do?"

"I fought back," Johann stated with a nervous grin, "They wouldn't listen to me if I tried to tell them I wasn't with Ulfric, so I fought them off. After they fell, a group of Thalmor soldiers appeared, and I-"

"My lord we must throw this young man out!" Proventus declared, "He's likely lying about defeating a group of Legionaires, and if he isn't, the Empire will think we're siding with Ulfric by harboring someone who attacked-"

"Shut up Proventus!" Balgruuf yelled, "I've known Johann since he was a lad, and he never lies. Besides, if his parents trained him, it's likely he'd be able to do what he says. Please continue Johann."

Johann smiled widely at Balgruuf's support before continuing, "I used an ability my Mother taught me to deal with the Thalmor, and ran into the forest while they were busy picking themselves up. Two of them boxed me into a small canyon and tried to hurt me, but I... killed one and knocked out the other."

Balgruuf pursed his lips and frowned lightly, noticing Johann's hesitation; taking a life, especially for the first time, was a difficult experience, much less for someone as gentle as the young man before him.

"A group of Stormcloaks showed up, finished off the Elf I knocked out, and took me to their camp," Johann went on, "Ulfric's Housecarl, Galmar Stone-Fist, told me he was going to lead a rescue effort, and I agreed to assist on the condition his men didn't kill anyone. I was able to sneak into Helgen when the guards weren't looking, and I held an Officer named Tullius hostage while Galmar and his men broke into the yard... and that's when the Dragon showed up."

Balgruuf widened his eyes, while Irileth narrowed her eyes at the story and Proventus dropped his jaw. "How did you get away?" Balgruuf asked.

"I knocked some sense into a Stormcloak and an Imperial, making them put aside their differences," Johann declared, "with their help, I was able to convince a number of other soldiers from both sides to follow us out of the keep. After that, I ran straight here to warn you."

The elder Nord sighed deeply as he ran a hand over his face, "That's quite a story Johann, but what about the Dragon?"

Johann frowned as he replied, "Last I saw, it was flying over the mountains between Whiterun and Falkreath, it was heading this way."

"By Ysmir Irileth was right!" Balgruff declared with wide eyes, before looking to his steward, "What would you say now Proventus? Shall we trust in the strength of our walls? Against a Dragon?!"

"My lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once," Irileth interrupted, "They're in the most immediate danger, if that Dragon is still skulking in the mountains..."

"The Jarl of Falkeath will view that as a provocation, he'll presume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him!" Proventus declared hotly, "We should-"

"Enough!" Balgruuf said firmly as he turned to Proventus, "I'll not stand idly by while a Dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth send a detachment to Riverwood at once."

"Yes, my Jarl," Irileth responded with respect, before walking past Johann and toward the main door.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties." Proventus declared in a subdued tone, knowing his views were not needed now.

"That would be best," Balgruuf said as Proventus walked away from the throne and down some stairs on the left side of the room. As the Imperial walked away, Balgruuf looked back at Johann, "You've done well Lad, bringing us this warning. I'm sorry your road home has been so dangerous, but it's good to see you again."

"It's great to see you too, my Jarl," Johann said as he smiled at the older Nord.

Balgruuf got up from his throne and placed a hand on Johann's shoulder as he smiled back. "Look at you! You've grown so much since I last saw you; you're not a boy anymore, you're almost a grown man," Balgruuf declared.

Johann nodded at Balgruuf. "And I'm ready to do my part for my homeland," he replied, "I'm ready and willing to help any way I can."

"That's the spirit! Just like your father! Ready to get to work, no matter how hard!" Balgruuf said, then turned and waved down one of the servants. "Fetch a suit of steel armor and a shield from the Armory, and help this young man get equipped."

"Yes, my Jarl," the servant curtly replied, before running off.

"Get outfitted, then meet me in the Court Wizard's chambers, Farengar will explain what we need you to do," Balgruuf explained as he turned his focus back to Johann.

Johann nodded and followed the servant to a chamber upstairs. Ten minutes later, he walked into the Court Wizards chamber in a full suit of Nordic style Steel Armor. Metal pieces formed around the young Nord's torso, with leather and fur between his skin and the plating. He wore a belt with two metal plates attached, protecting his hips and thighs, over a pair of leather leg guards and pants, which ended in a pair of boots with metal plates attached to the shins. Strapped to his back was a circular Nordic steel shield, along with a Nordic broadsword hanging off his belt.

The Court Wizard's chambers consisted of one room with a desk, a work table, a bulletin board, as well as a book shelf and workstations for enchanting and alchemy, and what looked like a small library and a bedroom. Jarl Balgruuf stood on one side of the desk, looking at the man on the other side; a Nord clothed in a blue robe with a hood over his head, revealing only a pale face with a pair of sideburns.

"Here he is, Farengar," Jarl Balgruuf said as Johann walked in. "I believe he'll be able to help you with your... Dragon project."

"So, the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me?" Farengar asked as he looked up from his desk at the young Nord. "Ah he must be referring to my research into the Dragons, I could use someone to fetch something for me."

"Alright, where am I going, and what am I looking for?" Johann asked as he frowned lightly at the idea of being an errand boy.

"Straight to the point, eh? Leave those details to your betters, am I right?" Farengar asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've... learned of the location of an ancient tablet, a Dragonstone, interred in the ruins of Bleak Falls Barrow, to the south of Whiterun. If my research is correct, and it usually is, this Dragonstone is an map of the Dragon burial sites throughout Skyrim, as good a place to start research into their return as any. What I need you to do, is go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find the Tablet, likely in the main chamber, and bring it to me. Simple as it can be."

"Can you tell me anything about Bleak Falls Barrow? What I might find there?" Johann asked.

"Thousands of years ago, the Barrow was a temple of the Dragon Cult, though nobody is sure of how important it was to the Cult compared to other ruins throughout Skyrim," Farengar explained.

"We've had reports of bandits heading up the path leading to the ruins, so you'll want to be careful if they're still up there," Balgruuf added as he placed a hand on Johann's shoulder.

"I'll bring the Dragonstone back in one piece, my Jarl. Don't worry," Johann declared as he smiled and nodded at Balgruuf. The Jarl returned the smile, then removed his hand and turned back to Farengar.

"This is a priority now. Anything we can use to fight this Dragon, or Dragons. We need it, before it's too late," Balgruuf declared in a grim tone.

"Of course, Jarl Balgruuf. You seem to have found me an able assistant. I'm sure he will prove most useful," Farengar replied as he looked at his Lord.

"Succeed in this, and Whiterun will be in your debt Johann," Balgruuf said as he turned back to the young Nord.

"I won't fail you, my Jarl. I'll recover the tablet as fast as I can," Johann said in a determined voice as he turned around and headed for the exit.

Balgruuf walked back into the main chamber of the keep and sat down on his throne as Johann walked out the main door.

"Talos guide you, lad," the Jarl said to himself.

* * *

**Okay, finally making progress! Hopefully, I can post more often from now on, make up for lost time.**


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